February 08, 2018

One Sheet Pan, Moroccan Style ‘Chermoula’ Cod & Squash

The older I get the more I realize that the ongoing conquest for perfection is futile. The conquest for excellence now is a whole other matter and one I believe in aspiring to. But this endless pursuit for perfection, will land me in the loony bin.

For me, my bête noire will always be the exasperating & often losing relationship with my weighing scale. Which brings me to the whole point of the ‘futile endeavor for perfection’ conversation.

And so I try and focus on ‘excellence’ – making the very best effort in making the best decisions for the my health – good true foods, regular exercise, vices in moderation (hello red win and chocolate!!) and keeping up a positive mental outlook for most part.

I think there is some irony to the fact that my whole life revolves around food and that I of all people should be blessed with a metabolism of a bullock cart. The universe is certainly having a good laugh at my expense!

This lovely one sheet pan cod is one of my favorite weeknight dinners. I love buying Icelandic cod and usually buy mine at Costco. This thick flaky white fish is the perfect canvas to soaking up rich flavors. And therefore, a modified version of the Moroccan spice paste, Chermoula is just the perfect condiment for this fish.

Using one sheet pan is great, because the veggies go at the bottom and soak up all the great juices from the fish on top and all I do is cook up some quinoa-brown rice in the rice cooker to go with. 45 mins later, it’s dinner done from top to bottom and that includes the 35 minutes when the fish is just cooking in the oven.

Catching up on episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix,here I come!

I hope you’ll add this lovely one-sheet-pan cod to your menu this week.

ciao,

Devaki

Gather the ingredients,

3 lbs. wild caught cod fillets

2 yellow squash

3 slender zucchini

2 tbs chopped parsley

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Chermoula spice paste:

1 cup packed cilantro leaves with tender stalks

½ cup packed fresh dill

4 garlic cloves, peeled

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2-3 tbs water only if needed

Seasonings:

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp ground black pepper

3 tsp kosher salt

Also required is a food processor (like a nutribullet) capable of making fine pastes and an 11” x 17” sheet pan

Preheat the oven to 400 deg.F

Lemon: Zest the lemon using a Microplane zester and juice the lemon.

Chermoula spice paste: In the food processor, and all the ingredients for the spice paste and process to a fine paste. Add the water only if needed to process.

Cod: Using a sharp knife, cut the cod into 4” wide pieces. In a flat bottomed platter, line up the fish and pour the chermoula paste all over the fish. Flip over and coat the chermoula all over the fish. Set aside until ready to use.

Place the squash and parsley in a mixing bowl. Add olive oil and salt and toss to coat.

Spray some non-stick baking spray all over the baking pan. Feel free to line with parchment paper if desired.

Line the pan with squash spread out in a single layer.

Place the fish pieces over the squash. Top each piece of fish with a sprig of dill if desired.

Place in the hot oven and bake for 35 minutes. The fish will be flaky and the squash would have soaked up all the lovely juices from the fish and spices.

Serve over couscous or quinoa for a delicious meal!

Enjoy!

Recipe for

One Sheet Pan, Moroccan Style ‘Chermoula’ Cod & Squash

Shopping list:

3 lbs. wild caught cod fillets

2 yellow squash

3 slender zucchini

2 tbs chopped parsley

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Chermoula spice paste:

1 cup packed cilantro leaves with tender stalks

½ cup packed fresh dill

4 garlic cloves, peeled

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2-3 tbs water only if needed

Seasonings:

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp ground black pepper

3 tsp kosher salt

Also required is a food processor (like a nutribullet) capable of making fine pastes and an 11” x 17” sheet pan

Preparation: Preheat the oven to 400 deg.F

Lemon: Zest the lemon using a Microplane zester and juice.

Chermoula spice paste: In the food processor, and all the ingredients for the spice paste and process to a fine paste. Add the water only if needed to process.

Cod: Using a sharp knife, cut the cod into 4” wide pieces. In a flat bottomed platter, line up the fish and pour the chermoula paste all over the fish. Flip over and coat the chermoula all over the fish. Set aside until ready to use.

Comments

One Sheet Pan, Moroccan Style ‘Chermoula’ Cod & Squash

The older I get the more I realize that the ongoing conquest for perfection is futile. The conquest for excellence now is a whole other matter and one I believe in aspiring to. But this endless pursuit for perfection, will land me in the loony bin.

For me, my bête noire will always be the exasperating & often losing relationship with my weighing scale. Which brings me to the whole point of the ‘futile endeavor for perfection’ conversation.

And so I try and focus on ‘excellence’ – making the very best effort in making the best decisions for the my health – good true foods, regular exercise, vices in moderation (hello red win and chocolate!!) and keeping up a positive mental outlook for most part.

I think there is some irony to the fact that my whole life revolves around food and that I of all people should be blessed with a metabolism of a bullock cart. The universe is certainly having a good laugh at my expense!

This lovely one sheet pan cod is one of my favorite weeknight dinners. I love buying Icelandic cod and usually buy mine at Costco. This thick flaky white fish is the perfect canvas to soaking up rich flavors. And therefore, a modified version of the Moroccan spice paste, Chermoula is just the perfect condiment for this fish.

Using one sheet pan is great, because the veggies go at the bottom and soak up all the great juices from the fish on top and all I do is cook up some quinoa-brown rice in the rice cooker to go with. 45 mins later, it’s dinner done from top to bottom and that includes the 35 minutes when the fish is just cooking in the oven.

Catching up on episodes of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix,here I come!

I hope you’ll add this lovely one-sheet-pan cod to your menu this week.